More Than Just a Bill: Why Electricity Matters to Our Family

My reaction every time I receive our electric bill is always the same. I check the total amount, sigh, and even before putting the bill down, I’m already thinking about which expenses I can cut to make our budget work for the month.

As a work-at-home mom, I know how important electricity is to our daily lives. Since 2012, I have been working from home as a Virtual Assistant and Email Handler for clients in the United States, so a steady power supply and reliable internet connection are very important to me. I’m also a blogger and content creator, which means much of my work happens online.

My work involves managing and replying to emails, editing content, doing research, and creating blog and social media posts and a lot of online tasks. For me, a power interruption is more than just an inconvenience. If I suddenly can’t get online, I can lose valuable hours of work, miss an important email from a client, or have difficulty meeting a deadline.

Since my clients are based in another country, I also have to consider the time difference. Losing several hours of work can make it harder for me to catch up, respond to clients, and finish tasks on time.

At the same time, electricity is also important to my daughter, especially when she has schoolwork to do. She uses it to study, do research, and complete her assignments on her devices. When there is a power interruption, it doesn’t only affect my work. It can affect her studies too and make it harder for her to finish what she needs to do.

For someone like me who works from home, having reliable electricity is very important because it allows me to do my job and provide for my family. It made me realize that electricity is more than just another monthly bill. Every time I look at our electric bill, I don’t only think about how much we need to pay. I also think about my work, my daughter’s education, and everything we depend on electricity for at home.

When our electricity bill starts to affect our monthly budget, my usual reaction is, “Wala tayong magagawa. Mahal talaga, tiis na lang.” For a long time, that was exactly how I felt. I would pay the bill, adjust our budget, and accept it because electricity was something we really needed every day.

Over time, napaisip din ako, baka may ibang way naman. Are there better options for the energy we use every day? And what could those choices mean for families like ours in the future?

I used to think of clean energy as something for the future—something we might use someday when it becomes more common. But as I started learning more about it, I realized that clean and renewable energy is already part of the Philippines’ energy landscape today.

Clean and renewable energy can help us find better ways to meet our everyday energy needs while moving toward a cleaner future. I know that not every Filipino family can choose where their electricity comes from or install their own renewable energy system. But even so, we can all benefit from having a cleaner and more reliable energy system.

By supporting clean energy, improving our power systems, and using more renewable sources, we can work toward electricity that is more reliable and affordable for families like ours in the years to come.

More Affordable

As a mom who manages our household budget, I always have to think about where our money goes. Every month, there are bills to pay, food to buy, and other needs that we have to take care of.

The electric bill is just one of our many expenses. When it gets higher, I sometimes have to look at our budget again and see where we can adjust or cut back.

That’s why I believe having a cleaner and more reliable energy system can make a difference. Over time, it could help make electricity more affordable and give families like ours a little more room in the budget.

More Reliable

This is probably the part I can relate to the most.

Because I work from home, having reliable electricity is very important to me. My work is done online, and my clients are based in the United States. If I can’t use my laptop or stay connected to the internet, I can’t simply go to an office and continue working.

For me, reliable electricity means being able to do my work, reply to my clients, meet deadlines, and continue earning for my family. It also means my daughter can study, do her research, and finish her schoolwork without having to stop whenever there is a power interruption.

More Sustainable

As a parent, I also think about the kind of world my daughter will grow up in.

Of course, I want her to have a good future and many opportunities. But I also want her to grow up in a place with cleaner air, a healthier environment, and communities that are cared for.

That’s why moving toward cleaner energy matters to me. It’s not only about the electricity we use in our homes today. It’s also about making better choices now so that the next generation can enjoy a cleaner and healthier future.

We don’t necessarily have to accept “ganito na talaga” as the only answer. For me, this is where “Pwede pala” becomes meaningful—not as a promise that everything will change overnight, but as a reminder that there are possibilities beyond simply accepting “tiis na lang.”

A shift toward cleaner energy can help create a better and more sustainable energy system for Filipino families and communities.

So, the next time the electric bill arrives, I may still sigh and think about our household budget. But I’ll also remember that electricity is connected to so much more—my ability to work and earn, my daughter’s education, and the future we are building for our family.

That’s why, instead of simply saying, “Tiis na lang,” I’m learning to ask:

“Ano pa kaya ang puwede?”